Published: August 28, 2025 | Share This

[Click image to enlarge]

The Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (Permitting Council) entered into a first-of-its-kind agreement with the state of Alaska. The memorandum of understanding (MOU) provides for federal permitting assistance through the Permitting Council’s FAST-41 program, as the state and the federal government work together to streamline the permitting process for critical infrastructure projects across Alaska.

“I am excited to announce that the great state of Alaska is the first state to partner with the Permitting Council, ensuring that the abundance of energy and infrastructure projects in the state can access streamlined permitting,” said Emily Domenech, Permitting Council executive director.

“Our team is ready to work with Governor Dunleavy to bring Alaska back into the energy spotlight, ending the neglect of the Biden administration and bringing Alaska’s incredible natural resources to the rest of the world,” added Domenech.

Permitting Council Executive Director Emily Domenech and Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy signed the MOU at the Governor’s Anchorage office. The first-of-its-kind statewide agreement outlines the intention of the state and federal government to work together to identify projects for FAST-41 coverage and transparency status.

As part of the agreement, the Permitting Council will provide federal permitting support to select projects in the state, ensuring focused technical assistance, transparency, accountability, and predictability in the permitting process.

The Permitting Council will provide the state of Alaska with a wide variety of support, including:
• Assisting the state in determining the FAST-41 eligibility of projects
• Providing dedicated Permitting Council staff for each covered project, with regularly scheduled coordination
  calls on at least a monthly basis
• Developing tools to aid in the implementation of FAST-41, from a unique state FAST-41 application template to
  fact sheets and other tools
• Engaging with project sponsors of projects in the state portfolio to provide FAST-41 briefings as requested

“This agreement is another step toward unlocking Alaska’s full potential,” said Governor Dunleavy.

“For too long, federal bureaucracy has delayed responsible resource and infrastructure development within our state. With this agreement, Alaska will have a seat at the table to ensure that federal agencies work hand in hand with the State to deliver timely and transparent permitting decisions,” added Dunleavy.

The MOU signing is part of a comprehensive state visit to Alaska by the Permitting Council Executive Director, with meetings held with representatives of current FAST-41 projects like Graphite One and Alaska LNG, visits with potential FAST-41 projects, and a speaking engagement at the Alaska Oil and Gas Association Conference.

The Permitting Council coordinates federal environmental reviews and authorizations for projects that seek and qualify for FAST-41 coverage. FAST-41 covered projects are entitled to comprehensive permitting timetables and transparent, collaborative management of those timetables on the Federal Permitting Dashboard. FAST-41 covered projects may be in the energy production, electricity transmission, energy storage, surface transportation, aviation, ports and waterways, water resource, broadband, pipelines, manufacturing, mining, carbon capture, semiconductors, artificial intelligence and machine learning, high-performance computing and advanced computer hardware and software, quantum information science and technology, data storage and data management, and cybersecurity sectors.

Be in-the-know when you’re on-the-go!

CLICK HERE to register your email address.

Copyright © 2025 Mining Connection LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission.

For licensing permission, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)